Instant booking pros and cons

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
Joanna
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Instant booking pros and cons

Post by Joanna »

We've always avoided instant booking because I worry that guests would try to book dates that don't work for us and then it could get ugly if I've got to go back to them and say 'no' and also have the hassle of trying to return their money. For example, our cleaners work Mondays & Fridays so a Sunday to Tuesday booking would block out a whole week.

However, I'm increasingly seeing instant bookings being described as 'essential' by various marketing gurus so I'm wondering if we should give it a go. We wouldn't be doing it via OTAs, just by a booking form on our own website with links to Stripe for card payments.

Any experiences in favour or against?
Jo

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Sanchisimo
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Post by Sanchisimo »

I think if you are going to offer instant booking it should be just that - people will have their booking confirmed, make the deposit arrange other stuff related to the holiday. I would be furious if the booking was subsequently cancelled simply because it was inconvenient.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

That's why we've never offered it. I'm not sure if there's a way around it that I'm not seeing. I think the main problem is that our booking management system can't have 2 possible changeover days each week. It's one day or any day. I've found the same thing with OTAs too.

Maybe I could offer instant booking for guests who want to book a standard '7 nights from Friday' stay and then tell them to contact us if they want something different.

I suppose the real issue is whether instant booking would be a deal breaker - are we losing a significant number of bookings because we're not offering it?
Jo

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Post by SusanMay »

I went though a similar train of thought this spring. I bought a Wordpress plugin which provides an online booking system and got it working but I still haven’t put it live. l really like being able to check that I want to let customers book the days they have specified, and that I’ve got the price correct.

As you say the big question is whether we lose a significant number of bookings because we're not offering instant booking, and it’s hard to answer unless you move to it and see what happens. I wonder if anyone on this forum with their own website has done so and seen a noticeable increase? For now I am still ok with the level of bookings I am getting without instant booking, so It doesn't seem essential to me.

Incidentally the plugin (Hbook) does allow you to define days of the week that customers are allowed to check in and out. Airbnb also allows you to specify which days they can check-in.
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Post by newtimber »

If you’re happy with your current level of bookings, there’s no need to change. If you want more bookings, then you have to move to Instant Booking as that is what guests prefer.
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Post by Sunbeam »

We avoid instant bookings because we prefer to have some communication with guests before hand - eg check numbers and that the house is the right one for them. Booking a holiday is a big decision and we prefer not to have guests who want an instant-book hotel type experience.

We have that noticed guests who barely want to communicate before the holiday do not turn out to be the best guests and invariably there's something not quite right that might have been avoidable if they had engaged with us at the enquiry stage. But at least there is some communication. Instant booking makes it even more risky.

It's really important for us that the house is right for all guests - this avoids unhappy guests and helps us get positive reviews. We prefer not to be chosen that to be chosen in error.

There may be some properties that suit instant bookings - perhaps high turnover - smaller properties. But many holiday properties may not be suitable for everyone - and no matter how clearly you write your listing many people do not bother reading your blurb! We use the enquiry stage to check that the property details have been understood.

The listing sites tell you that you can cancel an instant booking if you subsequently find out the guests are planning to, for example, over occupy or bring a dog - but i bet they will make it as difficult as possible to do so. or the guests agrees not to but you're worried they'll do it anyway as they think you won't know.

The listing sites are definitely pushing for instant book - but we are sticking to our guns and avoiding it.
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Post by Martha »

Thanks Sunbeam, you saved me the trouble of a lot of typing!
I agree totally. We are booking fine without it...I really do not want to do it for all those reasons. I had the same discussion just now with a management company, interestingly, and their view was that, in the properties they manage, they find guests who have used instant booking to be more difficult, less communicative, and have more complaints.
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Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

Thanks all - I think we'll stick to what we do and keep instant booking as a last resort. One house is doing really well this year, the other is struggling - I think we'll focus on refurbing it, getting some professional photos and developing the web site, etc. and if all of that doesn't do the trick then we'll revisit instant booking.
Jo

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Post by Sunbeam »

Martha - it was my restrained, edited version as could go into full rant mode about "instant book"!

I think it will be interesting when the booking sites start to see a link between the quality of the guest experience (via the review system) and instant booked versus non-instant booked holidays - and even the number of pre-booking enquiry messages.
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paolo
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Post by paolo »

I had a call from Vrbo today, the one in which they try to persuade you to do all things to maximise bookings, like instant book and flexible cancellation.

He said that every year more people are only looking at instant book properties, and this year that is 54% of people using Vrbo and searching for properties in France. They select it as a search filter.

(He also said that you will get 3-4 times more enquiries if you go from 'strict' to 'moderate' cancellation policy.)

Another factor is that if you are instant book your response speed is automatically perfect, and response speed is a consideration for how you are ranked in the search results.

One thing is for sure - the days of non-instant book are numbered on the big 4 listing sites. Soon enough we will all be instant book. So why not embrace the positives, which according to Vrbo are as follows...

Why are you on 24 hour review?
You like to chat with prospective travellers before they book to ensure you are getting the right guest for your property

Can you do instant booking and still chat with travellers?
Of course, in fact instant booking makes it easier to chat with travellers as once a booking has been received you will have instant access to that travellers contact details and then you can even call and speak with the traveller personally, bringing in that personal touch, something you cannot do on the 24 hour review.

If I am on instant booking then I will have unwanted guests staying?
Absolutely not, you are in still full control of your property and after you chat with a traveller after they have booked if for any reason you do not wish to host the traveller then you can cancel at any time with no financial penalty.

If I cancel a booking wont it effect my ranking?
If you cancel multiple bookings then yes it can start to affect your rankings, however cancelling 1 or 2 will not.


What are the benefits to being on instant booking
• Owners on instant booking receive on average 1.8 more bookings
• Appear in more VRBO traveller searches, more searches leads to more views and more views will lead to more bookings!!!
• The possibility of being added on Expedia group websites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Trivago etc ….. 200+ companies in total with a reach of 1.5 billion travellers monthly!!!
• Boost in your rankings – Your rankings gets judged on your acceptance rate so instant booking will ensure it’s the highest possible given you a boost on the page and lead to more views!!!
• Communicate faster and more directly with your travellers and being able to give a more personal touch that our travellers love


What we recommend
• Switch on instant booking now
• Set your rules and polices to protect against parties
• If you looking for families then set a minimum age requirement between 30 – 70 for person making the booking
• Add a damage deposit this will put off the people you don’t want staying
• Set a minimum night stay at least 3 nights
• Set payment terms for traveller into at least 2 payments. 1st payment 25/50% at time of booking and 2nd payment of 75/50% at least 60 days before check-in date as these payment terms are common for families / couples and put off potential parties

By doing all of the above not only will you stop the travellers that you don’t want from booking but you will get MORE of the travellers you DO want.
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paolo
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Post by paolo »

Joanna wrote:I think the main problem is that our booking management system can't have 2 possible changeover days each week. It's one day or any day. I've found the same thing with OTAs too.
Certainly with airbnb and vrbo you can specify which days of the week are possible for arrival and departure, and that can be the same days all year or tailored for any given period of your choosing. [CORRECTION: you can do that with Vrbo but with Airbnb you can only specify one day for arrival or departure or allow all days]
Last edited by paolo on Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Sunbeam »

It’s a positive thing that VRBO read these posts and get an insight into property owners’ approach to letting their properties.

We expressed our concerns about instant book to our VRBO account manager last year - as it just doesn’t work for our property. Our account manager said there were quite a few property owners like us and they were considering a different approach to instant book for some properties. Not heard anything since, but hope they are still thinking about a possible approach.

VRBO have an opportunity to differentiate between different types of properties. They make a gigantic commission on bigger properties – and they will loose business - certainly from us. We will work with smaller independent listing sites instead.

They really need to understand that an owner with a two bed apartment in a managed block, possibly managed by an agent, has a totally different mindset to an owner with a country house that sleeps more people or a luxurious penthouse apartment etc.

VRBO could highlight that "these properties" (some kind of marker) have quirks and idiosynchrosies and are lovingly managed by their owners and so prospective guests are expected to carefully read the listing details and submit an enquiry with details of their group and to expect that the owner will ask them further questions before booking. Introduce the idea of "engaging with the owner will give you a better holiday experience" etc. So you present the "NON-instant-book status" as a positive to a prospective guest.

It is not enough to to scroll through the three House Rules and agree to them as there is a lot more subtlety to their suitability to rent the property than a checklist that fits all types of bookings.
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Post by Sunbeam »

"Can you do instant booking and still chat with travellers?
Of course, in fact instant booking makes it easier to chat with travellers as once a booking has been received you will have instant access to that travellers contact details and then you can even call and speak with the traveller personally, bringing in that personal touch, something you cannot do on the 24 hour review.

If I am on instant booking then I will have unwanted guests staying?
Absolutely not, you are in still full control of your property and after you chat with a traveller after they have booked if for any reason you do not wish to host the traveller then you can cancel at any time with no financial penalty.

If I cancel a booking wont it effect my ranking?
If you cancel multiple bookings then yes it can start to affect your rankings, however cancelling 1 or 2 will not."
VRBO need to treat property owners with respect and credit them with some intelligence. It is 100% clear that VRBO just want to "get the money" up front and prioritise this ahead of customer satisfaction. Their customers are both the guests and the owners.

Who in their right mind would accept a booking from guests who don't want to ask questions beforehand on the understanding that they can cancel at any time - then hope the guests engage after booking (with no guarantee that they will).

Even if you can engage with them you then say the property isn't quite right for them - they will argue with you and be angry - very possibly leaving a negative review somewhere else. The guest will likely have booked flights and car hire based on their confirmed booking.

Will VRBO be highlighting to guests that the owner can cancel their reservation at any time - so even though it seems like an instant book - it's actually possibly not.
Last edited by Sunbeam on Sat Nov 20, 2021 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
newtimber
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Re: Instant booking pros and cons

Post by newtimber »

Joanna wrote:We've always avoided instant booking because I worry that guests would try to book dates that don't work for us and then it could get ugly if I've got to go back to them and say 'no' and also have the hassle of trying to return their money. For example, our cleaners work Mondays & Fridays so a Sunday to Tuesday booking would block out a whole week.
There are booking systems out there (Beds24 for example) that integrate with major OTAs where you can specify what days guests can arrive/depart - for example allow only say Friday changeovers in the peak season Mondays and Fridays in the high season and any day low season.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

paolo wrote:
Joanna wrote:I think the main problem is that our booking management system can't have 2 possible changeover days each week. It's one day or any day. I've found the same thing with OTAs too.
Certainly with airbnb and vrbo you can specify which days of the week are possible for arrival and departure, and that can be the same days all year or tailored for any given period of your choosing.
On ABB I can have 'restricted check-in days' but it seems be a blanket setting - I can't see how to have different days for different seasons. I don't use it much so I can never remember where everything is.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
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